This ones pretty short on pictures. I've been trying to stretch one more year out of our evaporative cooler for about seven years now and I almost thought it had me beat this year.

Step 1: Assess the Damage

First thing is to assess the damage and decide if you can repair it. As you can see the fan housing has rotted through and you may be able to tell that the mounting flange is rotting also.

I guess it's time to bite the bullet and replace the whole unit so off to the big box store to pick up a new one.

Well… $500 for new one and that doesn't even include the motor. That's another $100.

Maybe I can fix it after all.

Step 2: Cut Patch

So I bent a piece of sheet metal to fit over the holes.

Then I put a lot of caulking on the sheet metal. Placed it over the holes and screw it in place.